Second SmackDown Live Match Announced

If Johnny Gargano vs. Cesaro wasn’t good enough to entice you into watching next week’s episode of SmackDown Live, another tantalizing match has been announced for the blue brand. NXT call-ups Aleister Black and Ricochet look to join forces against the newly united team of Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura.

Similarly to the previous announcement, WWE revealed the news via their official Twitter account:

Both newcomers have made huge impacts over the past week on Raw and SmackDown. Ricochet picked up a win tagging alongside Finn Bálor against Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush on Raw, and then in singles competition against the SAnitY’s Eric Young on SmackDown.

Black, on the other hand, took down Elias on Raw in a fairly nothing match before hosting an NXT TakeOver: New Orleans rematch against Andrade on SmackDown Live the following night.

Although Black and Ricochet seem to be the clear favorites as the shiny new toys on the main roster, the unlikely pairing across from them are on the rise. This match will undoubtedly be a solid encounter but it will likely only provide more evidence that these sudden call-ups will not only damage the momentum of the new stars but also the current narratives at play.

Rusev and Nakamura may have gone from blood feud to besties thanks to R-Truth but they are on a roll. A loss on Tuesday will only derail that. Then again, we’re wrestling fans. We’ll forget in five minutes.